Machines used in landfills, earth moving, agricultural and construction applications are subjected to extreme wear. Chassis components on the undercarriage of such machines can be damaged by material such as landfill waste, rubble and other debris that rub against the chassis components. Over time, the repeated abrasion can damage chassis components, including front and rear axle differentials.
Landfill compactors work in a particularly abrasive environment. The lower powertrain and bottom of the chassis drag in the rubble. The lowest point of the undercarriage is the axle housing which houses the axle and differential. Even though an axle housing can be made to be strong and durable, repeated abrasion over time can cause a hole to be formed in the axle housing resulting in a leak or broken housing.
Various undercarriage guards (e.g. shield, protectors) have been devised to protect components, however, the axle housing remains exposed. A drawback of undercarriage guards is that they can make it difficult to access components protected by the guard to perform service (e.g., maintenance) on the component.
One attempt to address the issue of protecting undercarriage components is described in US Patent Publication No. 2017/0320522 to Lorenz et al. and published on Nov. 9, 2017. The '522 publication describes a suspension module having a subframe assembly. The subframe assembly can include a skid plate disposed at the bottom of the subframe. The skid plate can prevent impact damage to components that are received in a suspension module. While the '522 publication provides protection to some chassis components, the '522 publication fails to perform ideally and can prevent easy access to components requiring regular service.
Another attempt to address the issue of protecting undercarriage components is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,878 to Schreiner et al. issued on Mar. 26, 2013. The '878 publication describes a skid plate to protect various components against a blast. While the '878 patent describes a skid plate in an attempt to protect components against a blast, the '878 patent fails to perform ideally in certain environments such as a landfill where the damage to undercarriage components occurs under different circumstances.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the shortcomings set forth above and/or other shortcomings in the art.